Tompkins: Steering clear of 'ramp rage'

Safely and quickly getting boats in and out of the water makes outings more enjoyable

SHANNON TOMPKINS, Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Thursday, April 14, 2011

Time spent at a boat ramp launching and retrieving a vessel serves as the bookends to most days on the water.

What happens on and around that ramp shouldn't, but far too often does, flavor the whole experience — and not in a good way. It can put a distasteful, teeth-grinding cast on the start of a day or leave a bitter aftertaste when driving away from what should have been an enjoyable adventure. It can even result in expensive damage to the boat.

With spring heading quickly toward summer and each weekend seeing more of Texas' 600,000-plus registered boats being launched and retrieved from coastal and inland waterways, it seems appropriate to offer some hard-won advice and maybe an insight or two concerning the world of boat ramp etiquette and associated behavior.

Most, but certainly not all, experienced boaters have learned this stuff and practice it. So it's primarily aimed at giving inexperienced boaters a few tips on what to do and, perhaps more important, what not to do when launching and retrieving their boat.

Almost all of the problems — frustrations, short tempers, damage to boats, trailers, vehicles and all other disagreeable issues — that surface at busy boat ramps could be solved if everyone operated under this simple rule: Boat ramps are for two things — launching a boat and retrieving a boat; everything else needs to be done elsewhere.

Launching and loading a boat can be a quick, easy task taking no more than a couple of minutes if boaters follow basic rules and tips.

Launching and loading a boat can be a quick, easy task taking no more than a couple of minutes if boaters follow basic rules and tips.

Photo: Chuck Burton, AP

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When launching on steep boat ramps, boaters should keep their vessel secured by its winch line until reaching the edge of the water. This will help avoid having a stern-heavy boat slide off onto the bare concrete as the boater backs the rig. less

When launching on steep boat ramps, boaters should keep their vessel secured by its winch line until reaching the edge of the water. This will help avoid having a stern-heavy boat slide off onto the bare ... more

Photo: RICARDO SANTOS, Laredo Morning Times

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Tompkins: Steering clear of 'ramp rage'

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Without doubt, boaters who squat in a ramp and spend five or 10 minutes taking care of issues that should have been completed before entering the ramp or can be done after exiting it are the cause of most of the heartburn suffered by other boaters at busy launches.

The time to transfer ice chests, fishing tackle, water skis and anything else into or out of a boat and otherwise prepare to launch or drive home needs to be done in the parking lot, not on the ramp, where the dawdling forces waiting boaters to twiddle their thumbs and grind their molars to nubs.

First things first

When arriving at a launch, stop in the parking lot (or get in line behind vehicles waiting their turn to use the ramp) and prepare the boat for launching.

First business is removing tie-downs, front safety chain and engine support (Transom Saver) and putting the plug in the boat.

Don't laugh; launching a boat without removing tie-downs or installing a plug in the boat drain probably ranks as the most common mistake made when launching a boat. And it can ruin a trip from the start.

"I see it all the time," Brad Vratis of Stingaree Marina on Bolivar Peninsula said of forgetting to unstrap or plug a boat before launching. "People leave the straps on the back of the boat, and when they back down, the stern goes under."

If the boat doesn't have a bowline, put one on it. A bowline is crucial for maneuvering the boat out of the way if not launched under power and for tying off to a dock.

Transfer all the gear into the boat before pulling up to launch.

Pump the bulb on the gas line to prime the engine. Hit the key to make certain the battery's got enough juice to crank the engine. Tilt the engine high enough that the lower unit won't hit concrete when backing down the ramp — a lot of skegs have been sheared when folks forget to raise the motor when launching or retrieving their boat.

I prefer to leave the boat hooked to the bow winch until I've backed the boat to the edge of the water. On a steep ramp, a stern-heavy boat on a trailer equipped with rollers or slick bunks can very easily slide off the trailer and slam onto the bare concrete. This applies both when launching and retrieving a boat. Just remember to unhook the winch line before backing the rest of the way into the water.

It's smart to check the ramp before backing down, particularly unfamiliar ramps or those on the coast. If tides are low on the coast, part of the exposed ramp can be covered with a slick layer of algae that can make it tough for smaller rear-wheel-drive vehicles to get enough traction to pull a heavy boat from the water and can even result in a heavy boat's dragging a light vehicle into the water.

When your turn at the ramp comes, pull up, square up and back down. This can be easier said than done. Backing a trailer is a learned skill. A lot of people haven't learned it. The only cure is practice.

If you're the boater waiting in line behind a poor trailer backer, this is a good time to practice a bit of patience. Even the worst trailer backer usually will accomplish the feat in a couple minutes. And other than offering to back the trailer yourself, there's not a lot you can do but wait.

Displaying calm under pressure

If you're the boat operator sitting in the vessel as your inexperienced buddy or spouse tries unsuccessfully to back the trailer down the ramp, don't yell instructions and wave your arms or otherwise add to the already considerable tension and anxiety. Just get out of the boat, take the wheel, back the trailer down the ramp to where the trailer tires are just touching the water, get back in the boat (after unhooking the winch hook from the boat's bow) and have the helper simply back the rig the remaining few feet.

Having to take a couple shots at backing down a ramp typically is accepted by other boaters in line; they may not like the frittered time, but most endure the wait.

What's not acceptable is backing a trailer down the middle of a double ramp, turning a two-boat ramp into a one-boat ramp. Pick a side.

If launching in the dark from a double ramp or one with a long approach where the next boater can wait directly uphill, turn off your vehicle's headlights. Those lights can be blinding to the person uphill, making it impossible to accurately maneuver the trailer down the ramp.

When launching, you have the option of manually shoving/floating the boat off the trailer or cranking the outboard and powering off the trailer. Either way, as soon as the boat clears the trailer, move it out of the way of the next person.

Most heavily used launches have courtesy docks where boats can be temporarily tethered. If a courtesy dock isn't available, gently beach the boat on the shore near the ramp or stand off under power until the vehicle driver returns from the parking area.

If you back a boat-laden trailer into the water at a crowded ramp and the boat's engine won't start after three or four minutes of cranking and fiddling with the fuel line and checking to make certain the kill switch hasn't been engaged, reattach the winch line, cinch it tight and pull the rig back into the parking area. Busy boat ramps are not the place to work on a balky motor.

It shouldn't take more than three or four minutes to launch a boat or reload it onto its trailer, and that includes backing the trailer down the ramp. Anything longer wastes your time and the time of the people not-so-patiently waiting in line.

Being the cause or victim of a case of "ramp rage" isn't the way to start or end what should be an enjoyable day on the water.